


The Map Room

by OldWomanJosie



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-15
Updated: 2014-01-15
Packaged: 2018-01-08 20:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1137020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OldWomanJosie/pseuds/OldWomanJosie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy discovers a room of maps and the Doctor discovers the importance of time well spent.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Map Room

She'd never seen anything so beautiful. Amy stood in the midst of the swirling figures that represented countless galaxies and laughed aloud. She'd seen so much in her travels with the Doctor and still she stood in awe of the intricate lines and sweeping colors that were projected into the darkness of the high-ceilinged room. 

She touched one shining point of light and another color arched toward the ceiling, displaying the contents of the solar system she'd selected. She stared in wonder at the reprensentation of the seven planets orbiting the white hot star. She reached out to touch the tiniest planet, but a voice pulled her up short.

"Discovered the map room, I see."

Amy jumped guiltily, but the Doctor ignored her. He entered the miasma of projected light and touched a green orb the size of a grape, the planet closest to the sun she'd selected. It blossomed into a sheet of Gallifreyan text which, presumably, told the user about the chosen planet. To Amy, it was just more beautiful shimmering circles and lines.

"Oritoria," the Doctor commented to her about the planet. "They sing everything, flat talking is not allowed." He pulled a face and began wailing in an exaggerated fashion. "Theeey taaaalk aaaall liiiike thiiiiis aaaall theeee-"

She clapped a hand over his mouth. "I get it," she said through a fit of giggles. She turned to another sun, another system and caused it to open to her with a touch. "What about this one?" she asked curiously.

The Doctor squinted at the little ringed world. "Ligotee. Do you know, they have the most wonderful-"

It went on like that for quite some time, Amy choosing a glowing dot and the Doctor telling her things like:

"Nothing but plants on the whole world. Even the natives are evolved plant life!"

"So, what, they are plants and they eat plants? That's disgusting!"

He gave her a look. "You eat cows. Meat and meat."

She paused, then shrugged. "Point taken."

Or:

"The Meridian Belt! Longest asteroid belt in the history of anywhere. Stretches for light-years and light-years. The natives are lovely hosts."

"But they're tiny rocks. What can live on them, bugs, bacteria, what?"

"Dogs."

She glanced at him. "Not dog dogs."

The Doctor nodded enthusiastically. "Dog dogs. Arf arf and all that. They mine the asteroids for nickel and iron. They make quite a profit from it, too."

Amy laughed. "What do they get paid with? Bones and frisbees?"

The Doctor tutted at her. "Don't be silly, Pond. They get paid in cat slaves."

"Cat. Slaves." Then she shoved him in the shoulder. "You're pulling my leg."

"Well, yes," he admitted. "But only about the cat part, the dogs really do mine the asteroids."

"I'd like to see that in action."

He waved off the suggestion. "Couldn't possibly. We've got things. Other things. Important things." Then he looked over and smiled. "But one day, Pond, I'll take you there."

They kept on that way for hours, talking and telling stories. The Doctor told her story after story of daring escapes, righteous adventures, hard choices and good times. He found himself able to talk about his journeys with Rose again, and for the first time he did not feel the dull ache of guilt in his hearts. He shared things with Amy he thought he would never speak of again. But this Scottish girl with her ginger hair and saucy manner drew the best out of him. And, he supposed, that's why he traveled with her.

Talking of Rose made him think of the plucky blonde, and of Martha, and Donna, and all of the hundreds of others he'd traveled with over his years. He recalled all the promises he'd made them: to keep them safe, to take them home, to take them to this place or that. With a pang of sadness he realized he'd never taken Donna to Barcelona, or Rose to the Cataman Divide, or...

The Doctor stood up suddenly. "Do you still want to go to the Meridian Belt?"

Amy got to her feet as well and looked at him quizzically. "Sure. I said as much."

"Then let's go!"

She gave him a sideways look. "I thought we were 'busy' with 'other things. Important things'." She did a completely rubbish imitation of him that made him laugh all the way down to the main control room.

"Those things can wait," he called back to her, jumping off the stairs to begin prodding controls. "Right now, we're going to go see some mining dogs."

Amy laughed and hurried down the stairs after him. "What's got into you?" she asked, puzzled by his strange shift in mood.

He turned around and leaned against the TARDIS console. "Just the thought that time, though it can be rewritten, can never be regained." He gave a peculiar smile and reached out his hand to her.

"Come along, Pond."


End file.
